Rose Quartz
Rose Quartz was the founder and former leader of the Crystal Gems. Enthralled by the beauty of Earth, she led her friends and allies in a Rebellion against the Gem Homeworld around 5,500 years before the events of the series, successfully driving the invading Gems off the planet and saving the life forms inhabiting it. Unbeknownst to others, her identity as Rose Quartz was a facade to hide her true identity as Pink Diamond, only entrusting Pearl with the truth until its revelation thousands of years later. Rose eventually developed a romantic relationship with a human, Greg Universe, before giving up her physical form to give birth to their son, Steven, who inherited her gemstone. She now is half of Steven, as she said herself. Appearance Rose Quartz had very long, curly pink hair styled in thick, tube-like ringlets. She also had defined lips with a pale-pink color, bright-peach skin, and a taller and heavier build than the other Crystal Gems, due to being a quartz. In "Story for Steven", she was shown to be similar in height to Garnet, and stood at eight feet. In "Lion 3: Straight to Video", she was shown to have had black eyes. Rose wore a strapless, floor-length, lilac and snow trimmed, tiered white and in some appearances a white and pink dress that had multiple layers which resembled the petals of a rose, and had a star-shaped cutout in the stomach area, specifically where her gem was located. Finally, she was barefooted. Personality A natural leader, Rose Quartz is indicated to have had a caring and loving personality. In "An Indirect Kiss", she is described as feeling great sorrow when her loved ones were hurt. Rose is said to see beauty in everything "no matter how gross," showing that she treats everyone as equals. Her capacity for empathy led her to establish the Rebellion and the Crystal Gems after exploring the planet Earth and its inhabitants. This feeling extended even to her enemies; as documented in "Bismuth", Rose values her enemies' lives just as much as her allies'. According to Bismuth, Rose was an atypical kind of Gem; choosing to be different and encouraged other Gems to be too, rather than living in accordance to her Gem caste's values. Her doctrine was that Gems can take control of their own identities and that her race's limited display of individuality is a conviction forced upon them. In the same manner, Rose had shown displeasure towards the Gems' traditions and natures, becoming somber when reflecting on Gems' static, pre-destined existences in "Greg the Babysitter", and admitted that she never missed her old home in "Story for Steven". This discontent sparked her fascination in humans, who are always growing, changing and redefining themselves. She also described them as "funny" and "adorable." Despite her role in the Rebellion and its consequences, Rose had a adventurous and fun-loving personality, greatly resembling that of her son. She is described by Pearl and Greg as someone who "always did what she wanted." Rose showed some ambivalence toward her role in the war; describing as "a good thing" that Greg knew little about her. Rose did not fully comprehend the depths of human love in the early stages of her relationship with Greg, seeing that she was very confused when Greg tried to explain the concept of genuine affection. This led Pearl to initially believe that there was not much between Greg and Rose, confronting him with the idea that their "love" was only a phase, and that Greg's novelty would soon wear off. Seeing Rainbow Quartz gave Greg the idea to fuse with Rose, which he had hoped would help them understand each other. When Greg's fusion attempt failed, Rose started laughing at the thought in a way that he considered to be emotionally distant. When asked to talk like a real person, Rose was quick to admit that her sense of love was a facade, and she had no idea how human love worked. Greg and Rose began to talk, deepening their relationship. After their talk, it can be assumed that she had learned from Greg how to be more 'human', in a sense. In the podcast, Rebecca Sugar states that Rose was interested in that; she knew she did not understand it, and so she failed at compassion during "We Need to Talk".[1] As revealed in "Greg the Babysitter", Rose had not just a misunderstanding of human love but a misunderstanding of human beings in general, going so far as to once think babies and adults were separate species altogether. She became fascinated with the fact that humans grow, change, and chose what they become, whereas Gems are pre-destined to be whom they are. It could also be seen that she treats babies and adults the same motherly way, ironic given that she originally believed them to be separate species. There is another unexplored side of Rose's personality – the legends surrounding her paint her as a ruthlessly efficient warrior and leader of the Crystal Gems who not only commanded her fellow Gems in the rebellion but also participated in the fighting personally. Both her allies and enemies remember her as the one who shattered Pink Diamond. This side of her personality seems at odds with the all-loving, motherly side of her, reflecting perhaps how the beauty of Earth and its lifeforms greatly affected the stern Gem warrior. It is worth noting that it is her compassion that leads her to rebel to protect others, so this behavior is not entirely out of the realm of possibility. In "The Answer", Rose is shown fighting alongside Pearl. She cracks a cocky smile before destroying a Ruby fusion. This would suggest an aggressive side to Rose's personality. As implied in "Bismuth" however, Rose's nature as a warrior during the war was tempered by a strong sense of righteousness, as she refuses to go to the extent of needlessly killing Gems to win the war against the Gem Homeworld, proving her love for life was stronger than her warrior instincts. "Bismuth" highlights both her compassionate nature and her capacity for deception in the form of Bismuth. Rose poofed and bubbled Bismuth and did not tell Pearl and Garnet the truth about what happened to her but did it due to Bismuth's development of the Breaking Point and her intentions to use the weapon mercilessly against their enemies during the war. Further examples of her secretive side are shown in "Rose's Scabbard", when Pearl learns Rose did not confide everything to her. Pearl knew nothing of Lion, nor the fact that Rose kept meaningful things in his mane, including Bismuth's bubbled gem. Though speculation in "The Trial" and other supporting evidence suggests that Pink Diamond was shattered by someone else, Rose made sure that history would remember her as being the one responsible. The podcast states that Rose is a "gray" character, who poofed Bismuth for not aligning with her own philosophy as proof to show that Rose did not represent "all things pure."[1] Rebecca Sugar states in the podcast that Rose protected Amethyst from having to know troubling truths related to Homeworld; she sheltered her from knowing the full truth of her origin and therefore she was not free to build on that aspect of her identity. Both the advantages of freedom and the disadvantages of lack of structure manifested in her. Rose did not want Amethyst to have the restrictions of the Gem society they rejected, but that meant Amethyst did not have the chance to rebel against or choose to follow anything associated with them.[2] Matt Burnett and Ben Levin state that the Crystal Gems had planned to not inform Steven about certain things "for his own good" and out of respect to Rose's wishes.[3] These actions support the idea that Rose's tendency to withhold or hide information may stem from a desire to protect those close to her. Abilities Rose Quartz possessed standard Gem abilities, bubbling, shapeshifting, fusion, regeneration, agelessness, and superhuman strength/durability. As a quartz Gem she was created to be a warrior. Noticeably, she was able to effortlessly defeat a fusion of three Rubies in a flash. She was proficient in both combat as well as military command, being able to lead the Crystal Gems from the front-lines in a successful rebellion against their Homeworld. Fusions * When fused with Pearl, they form Rainbow Quartz. * When fused with Margaritasite they form Papaya Quartz * When fused with Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Amethyst, Peridot, Ice, Jasper, Lapis Lazuli, Chrome Diopside and Coral, they form Champagne Aura Quartz. * When fused with Ruby, Sapphire (or Garnet), Amethyst, and Pearl, they form Obsidian. ** Rose could also form Obsidian by fusing with Alexandrite; or Pearl and Sugilite; or Amethyst and Sardonyx; or Ruby and Sapphire (or Garnet) and Opal. * When fused with Amethyst, they would form a Smoky Quartz. * When fused with Ruby and Sapphire (or Garnet), they would form a Sunstone. Natural Abilities * Enhanced Strength: Being a Diamond in disguise, Rose had an immense amount of strength. In "Greg the Babysitter", she destroyed the control panel to a Ferris wheel with a single punch. She was then able to stop the malfunctioning Ferris wheel and ripped off one of the seats with her bare hands. * Enhanced Reflexes/Speed: "The Answer" and "Greg the Babysitter" showed that, despite her size, Rose was extremely fast and agile. In the former, she destroyed a Ruby fusion quickly and precisely, and in the latter, she ripped off a seat of the Ferris wheel and leaped and caught a falling Greg and baby Sour Cream easily. Skillset * Shield Proficiency: Rose had the capacity to summon her shield to protect loved ones. She was capable to summoning it in larger sizes. It is powerful enough to counter the effects of the Diamonds' Corrupting Light on the inviduals inside the shield. * Shapeshifting: '''Rose was adept enough in transformtions to form a female human reproductive system, including a womb for Steven to be born from.[4] * '''High Intellect: Rose was proficient in military command and strategy, able to lead the Crystal Gems from the front-lines in a successful rebellion against their Homeworld. In "The Return", Jasper stated that Rose was a masterful tactician, a crucial skill that earned her renown. Though speculation in "The Trial" and other supporting evidence suggests that Pink Diamond was shattered by someone else, Rose made sure that history would remember her as being the one responsible. Unique Abilities *'Empathic Telepathy': According to Garnet, Rose possesed the ability to sense others and connect with them. This power was mainly seen through Steven. *'Phytokinesis': Rose had the ability to grow sentient and not-sentient flora, which acted as her fighting guardians. The most notable examples are the Magic Spike Vines in "An Indirect Kiss" and her Magic Moss. * Healing: Rose manifested her ability to heal through her tears. Her tears could heal broken Gems/gemstones, and heal other creatures of general injuries. In "Bubbled", Eyeball mentions that she heard rumors about how Rose used her healing power to keep her Crystal Gem soldiers in contention with Homeworld's superior forces during the Rebellion. In "Monster Buddies", Garnet tells Steven that Rose tried to use her powers to save Corrupted Gems, although she was never able to heal them.[5] ** Resurrection: In "Lars' Head", it is implied that Rose could also resurrect organic beings, giving them special powers in the process, the most notable example being Lion. * Speed of Descent Regulation: In "Steven Floats", it is revealed that Rose was able to alter her gravity, allowing her to control the speed of her ascent and descent. She was briefly seen using this power in "Story for Steven". She also used it several times in "Greg the Babysitter". * Electrical Interference (Possible): In "We Need to Talk", Rose appeared to be able to control Greg's radio based upon her emotion. For instance, when she was shocked, the music stopped. However, like her son, it is unknown if she possessed it or if this was for dramatic effect. Weaponry * Rose's Sword: Rose possessed a sword that she had used during battle, and is currently wielded by Connie Maheswaran as of "Nightmare Hospital". * Laser Light Cannon: Rose once owned a cannon that shot a very powerful beam that could destroy an object such as the Red Eye that the Crystal Gems couldn't destroy on their own. The weapon activates by reciting Greg Universe's favorite catchphrase, "If every porkchop was perfect, we wouldn't have hotdogs." It is currently in the possession of the Gems after retreiving it from Greg's storage unit in the episode "Laser Light Cannon". * Rose's Secret Armory: Rose had an armory full of weapons and armor that she kept secret from the rest of the Crystal Gems, except Pearl. For unknown reasons, Lion knows about the armory and brought Steven and Connie there in "Lion 2: The Movie". Legacy At one point about 5,000 years prior to the events of the series, Rose leads the Crystal Gems in a rebellious war against the Homeworld Gems on the Gem Battlefield and wins. Jasper states that although they fought on different sides, she respected the military tactics that Rose used during the war. Rose left behind a fabricated story of the shattering of Pink Diamond in which she is responsible for it. This version was taken for fact by both sides of the war, which eventually culminated in the use of the Corrupting Light by the Great Diamond Authority. The Crystal Gems often reminisce about Rose, and express their gratitude for her actions. As seen in "Story for Steven", the Crystal Gems (excluding Rose) didn't wear stars on their outfits at the time that she met Greg. This implies that the symbol may have been adopted as a sign of respect and grief for Rose after she gave up her physical form. Greg often laments over her departure with seemingly similar reasons. A portrait of Rose hangs over the doorway to the Beach House where Steven lives. While pregnant with Steven, knowing that she could never meet him personally, Rose made a video with the intent of posthumously expressing her love for him. Rose also made a similar tape for "Nora," uncertain if her child would be male or female. Relationships Steven Universe Steven is Rose's son, whom she gave up her physical form for. While she never got to meet her son, Rose cherished Steven even before his birth, showing nothing but pride and happiness for the kind of person he would become, and trusted him to carry on her mission of protecting the Earth after her passing. Even when she knew it would mean the end of her existence to create Steven, she showed no fear and could not wait for him to join them. She also assured Steven in a video she left behind that when he loves being himself, it is really Rose loving Steven and loving being a part of him. According to Garnet, Steven is a "fusion of love". "Bismuth" portrays Rose differently to Steven after finding out that she had poofed and bubbled Bismuth without telling Pearl and Garnet. As a result, he shows his respect for her by promising to tell everyone what happened, giving her closure before poofing, unlike Rose. "Back to the Moon" and "Bubbled" causes Steven to doubt more on what he thinks about Rose after learning about the alleged shattering of Pink Diamond during the Rebellion, first mentioned by Eyeball, then confirmed by Garnet. In "Mindful Education", one of Stevonnie's hallucinations is the giant head of Rose Quartz staring down menacingly at them, further highlighting Steven's doubts on what he should think of his mother. In "Storm in the Room", Steven conceives his mother using her room. They can bond through various activities a normal parent and child would do such as football. When Steven was going to take a picture of him and Rose together, he quickly realizes that the Rose with him is merely an incarnation of what Steven knows of her. He breaks down into tears because he believes Rose is a liar so she can paint herself in a saintly light and only created Steven to get away from the problems she has caused for everyone involved. Rose denies this, however, saying she wanted to have Steven out of love. Assuming good faith towards his mother, he hugs her as she is blown away as a cloud. Steven is unsure what to think about his mother anymore. However, it is later shown in episodes like "Lion 4: Alternate Ending" that he believes that Rose may have left him a destiny to fulfill only to discover that she never intended that. In "The Trial", he has come to admit she was guilty of her crimes and calls her a war criminal, showing that Steven now sees his mother as the cause of everything bad in his life and blames her for that, seeing her now as just a criminal he must atone for her crimes. With the revelation that Pink Diamond was in fact Rose Quartz, Steven's feelings towards his mother remain mixed. While he is relieved to learn that she never shattered anyone, he is troubled by the extent of her deceit and the pain it has caused for the Crystal Gems. Lion Hundreds of years ago, Lion traveled with Rose Quartz in a pack of lions when she visited the Desert. At some point, Lion died and was resurrected by Rose Quartz when she cried over his body. Since then, Rose entrusted Lion with the key to her landfill and got him familiar with many of her special locations, such as her fountain and armory. Rose also trusted Lion with her most important belongings, which were stored inside of his pocket dimension, implying that the two had a very strong and close relationship. Crystal Gems Rose Quartz was previously the leader of the Crystal Gems before she brought Steven into existence. The group seems to hold her in high esteem. In the episode "Laser Light Cannon" for instance, Amethyst is quoted as saying, "If Rose were here, this would be so easy!" The members of the group seem to mourn her disappearance from the world after she gave up her physical form to create Steven, though they do not hold Steven accountable for the loss. In an in-character interview with Newsarama, Pearl seems to confirm that Rose Quartz was a leader of the Crystal Gems, noting, "Brilliant leaders do brilliant things, that is why you look to them for answers, answers no one else could have, that is why you trust them, even when you can not understand why they chose... Greg."[6] Following the revelation that Rose was Pink Diamond, the remaining Crystal Gems, notably Sapphire, feel a mixture of confusion and anger for Rose's deception. Pearl Pearl was Rose's second-in-command and confidant in the war against Homeworld and once her personal Pearl during her reign as a Diamond. Matt Burnett has described their relationship as "complicated".[7] After the episode "We Need To Talk", it was confirmed that Pearl's feelings for Rose were of the romantic kind.[8] The true nature of Rose's affections for Pearl was revealed in "Now We're Only Falling Apart" where Steven comments how Pearl swept Rose off her feet and how Sapphire felt the same when she came on Earth with Ruby. After witnessing Garnet's first fusion, Pearl made a failed attempt at fusing and tried to apologize for her impulsive decision and how she needs to stop imagining things about her relationship with Rose, only for Rose to urge her to never stop which resulted in an accidental first Rainbow Quartz fusion. Rose cared deeply for Pearl, and Pearl claims that she was closer to Rose than the other Gems were, and as such, Rose trusted her with information she did not tell Garnet and Amethyst. It was later showcased in "A Single Pale Rose" where it was revealed that "Rose Quartz" was a persona Pink Diamond created and asked Pearl to help to frame her own assassination and make "Rose Quartz" a culprit. Pink Diamond's last order as Pearl's diamond was to never tell this to anyone. Pearl seems to value this connection highly, as she became furious when realizing that there was information that Rose kept even from her in "Rose's Scabbard". In "Sworn to the Sword", it is stated by Pearl that Rose made her "feel like she was everything." It is explained by Garnet that, during the war, Pearl was extremely protective of Rose to the point of ignoring all logic and reason, and was willing to risk her own life to ensure Rose's safety repeatedly.[9] It is implied that this recklessness sparked heated arguments between the two of them.[10] Rose had a high respect for Pearl, to the point where she called her "My Pearl", something that Homeworld Gems call their superiors. Amethyst Amethyst and Rose seemed to have shared a close relationship. Amethyst makes a comment in "Maximum Capacity" that suggests she and Rose often hung out together. Amethyst is shown to think highly of Rose, who returned her positive regard. In "Crack the Whip", Amethyst reveals that Rose had told her that she is perfect the way she is, conveying that Amethyst's defective nature did not diminish Rose's opinion of her. Garnet Rose was the first Gem to accept Garnet for being a fusion between two different Gems. This acceptance would ultimately play a key factor in Garnet's decision to join Rose and the Crystal Gems. Like Pearl and Amethyst, Garnet holds much respect for Rose and was deeply saddened with her passing. Garnet is shown to believe in Rose's ideology strongly, and as such, she is committed to carrying on Rose's cause by leading the Crystal Gems in her absence. This reverence for Rose is demonstrated in "It Could've Been Great" when Garnet becomes angered at Peridot's criticism of the former Crystal Gem leader and her legacy, to the point of threatening Peridot. Greg Universe Greg Universe was the romantic partner of Rose Quartz until she brought Steven into the world. Greg and Rose seemed to have had an excellent relationship, but most of what is known comes from Greg's point of view. The two of them met at one of his one-man band concerts in Beach City, where she was the lone attendee. He said that they became inseparable, yet he had no idea "what a magical lady like her ever saw in a plain old dope like him." Rose used Greg's catchphrase as the activation words for her Light Cannon, reflecting her feelings towards him. Rose's relationship with Greg started out rocky because Rose did not really understand how human relationships worked, but things got better over time, and they ended up "fusing" into an entirely new being, Steven. Bismuth Bismuth is a Crystal Gem and one of Rose's most loyal friends and followers. However, Rose did not accept Bismuth's ideas for winning the Rebellion and bubbled her away in Lion's mane after an argument and fight over the use of the Breaking Point to shatter Gems. When Steven revealed to her that Rose Quartz was Pink Diamond, she screamed in a pool of lava in shock before proclaiming, "It all makes sense now!" Gemology Gemstone Information * Rose Quartz is a gemstone has an association with healing, love, peace, compassion, empathy, beauty and heart, which perfectly describes Rose's personality. * Rose Quartz is a rosy pink variety of quartz. * Its color is usually soft, ranging from very light pink to medium pink in intensity. * Rose Quartz is a cheap and abundant stone, and is frequently used for jewelry, often appearing in the shape of hearts and roses. * It is often called "Love Stone". * Rose Quartz is used to balance emotions and bring peace and calm. * Rose Quartz's chemical formula is SiO2::Ti, where the titanium impurities make them have a pinkish-red coloration. * Rose Quartz is the Zodical sign for Taurus and to an extent, Libra. Gemstone Category:Gems Category:Crystal Gems Category:Canon Gems Category:Canon Characters Category:Quartzes Category:Rose Quartzes